News

Officers swoop on hotel in drugs raid

DRUGS squad officers seized more than £70,000 of hard drugs over the Christmas and New Year period – including a swoop on a town hotel.

Three significant seizures saw £73,000 worth of Class A drugs taken off the streets of Swindon and £13,000 in cash.

The latest investigation into the supply of Class A drugs in the town, took place between New Year's Eve and Wednesday, January 2, when officers from the Dedicated Crime Team attended the Premier Inn, at Kembrey Park, on Wednesday afternoon and arrested four people on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs.

The inquiry led to another two people being arrested on suspicion of possession of Class A drugs with intent to supply after officers searched homes in Eldene and Liden.

A further warrant was executed in Dean Street, where a small amount of crack cocaine and heroin, with an estimated street value of £15,000, and £1,000 in cash were seized.

Among those arrested on suspicion of being involved in the supply of class A drugs were a 16-year-old girl and a 27-year-old man from Reading, a 21-year-old man from the London area, two women aged 20 and 21 from the Bedford area and a 22-year-old man of no fixed address.

Other seizures included a raid on a flat in the Paramount Building, in Princes Street, last week, in which £50,000 in cocaine, meow meow and ketamine were recovered, along with thousands of pounds in designer clothes.

Officers also stopped a car on the M4 and found £6,000 in cocaine and £10,000 in cash.

Sergeant Scott Hargreave, of the Dedicated Crime Team, said: “This has been a very positive period for us.

“Between the Christmas and New Year period we had two significant seizures of drugs and cash. “The first being after the execution of a warrant in the Paramount building where cocaine, ketamine, cannabis and meow meow were seized, with an estimated street value in excess of £52,000, along with £2,000 cash.

“The second seizure came following a stop of a vehicle on the M4 resulting in cocaine with an estimated street value of £6,000 along with approximately £10,000 cash being seized.

“This third seizure of drugs demonstrates our commitment to continually and robustly target people who bring harm to families and communities in Wiltshire by supplying controlled drugs.

“We would like to hear from anyone who has information on the supply of drugs in Wiltshire and this will be dealt with in the strictest confidence.”

Angus Macpherson, Police And Crime Commissioner For Wiltshire and Swindon, said: “Those with drugs habits can become trapped in a cycle of re-offending and live a life of social exclusion. I welcome this news that more than £73,000 of class A drugs have been removed by Wiltshire Police Dedicated Crime Team from Swindon's streets during the Christmas and New Year period.”

A spokesperson for Premier Inn said: “We can confirm that the police were called to the Premier Inn on Kembrey Business Park in the early hours of the morning on the 2nd January. As it is now a police matter, we are unable to make any further comment, however we are co-operating fully with their investigation.”

Anyone with information should contact Wiltshire Police on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.